Once Upon a Dream
by Bundibird
Summary: She met him on a small island used mostly as a stop-over port. His eyes were a piercing green, his hair a mass of brown curls that somehow suited him despite the fact that it wasn't red. Alice wasn't sure why it should be.


**Disclaimer****: **_**Alice in Wonderland**_** is not mine.**

**AN****: Months ago I saw the Tim Burton version of **_**Alice, **_**and ****I actually really enjoyed it. I never liked the Disney version, but I really had fun with this one. Did anyone else see the Alice/Hatter potential? I totally did. I totally loved it. **

**And I am so sorry everyone for the massive, absurdly long silence from me. I have spent the past year and a half with no internet access. Yes. You heard me. NO INTERNET ACCESS. For a YEAR AND A HALF. I have it for a month now though, and I intend to make use of it. **

**OoO**

_**Once Upon a Dream**_

She met him on a small island used mostly as a stop-over port by ships on long voyages to top up on food, water and other essentials. They made it just in time too – the storm season was just around the corner and their ship was in dire need of various repairs – they wouldn't be going anywhere for another month or two at least.

His eyes were what caught her attention – clear, bright green, and piercing. His hair was a mass of brown curls that somehow suited him despite the fact that it wasn't red – Alice wasn't exactly sure why she thought it should be.

He had a quirky sense of humour and an incredibly vivid imagination; he was an inventor, and half of the things that he believed science could prove amazed even Alice.

They met the first night that Alice was in town. He was having a business meeting with a man down at the local Inn – trying to convince him that yes, a self-emptying fireplace would revolutionise the way we live.

Alice was intrigued, which was more than could be said for the business-man.

He left after fifteen minutes of scientific babble.

Alice took his seat.

"So," she began. "How exactly does a self-emptying fireplace operate?"

Startled at first both by her boldness in introducing herself to him and her interest in his inventions, he told her. It was fanciful, clever, and Alice wanted to know more.

He invited her to morning tea the next day and showed her his other creations.

They met each day after that, often more than once, and quite frequently for morning tea. Or afternoon tea, if the timing was right.

She laughed at his jokes and he listened to her meandering thoughts and everyone looked at the pair oddly because they were so different from normal society.

He laughed with her about the normal people. Weren't they odd, he chuckled.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" she asked him once, then wondered where on earth the question had come from.

He didn't laugh at her though, like others might have. Didn't frown at her odd question which had nothing much to do with anything, like her once-nearly-mother-in-law would have.

He thought seriously for some time, then asked. "Why _is_ a raven like a writing desk?"

She laughed, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. "I honestly have no idea."

She accompanied him to a dinner party his mother hosted a few weeks later. His mother was an odd sort – nothing like her son and everything like proper society. She looked at Alice in disdain, her eyes roving up and down.

"She's a little short, don't you think?" she announced loudly.

He looked at Alice, a decidedly proud light in his eyes.

"She is neither too tall nor too short," he disagreed, leading her away confidently.

"You're as mad as a hatter!"' she laughed at him one day, not particularly thinking. The term fitted, she realised, and the nickname stuck. Thereafter, whenever he did something more outlandish than usual or if she was feeling particularly affectionate, she would call him _Hatter._

The two months passed quickly and suddenly the ship was repaired, the storm season passed, and Alice not-quite-but-really-should-be-ready to depart.

She visited him to let him know they were leaving the day after next. He served tea.

"You could always stay, you know," he said tentatively, green eyes focussed closely on her.

"You could always come with me," Alice countered, wondering that she hadn't thought of it earlier.

He had his bags packed by that evening.

He couldn't take all of his inventions of course, but some Alice organised to be shipped back to her home in England.

The two of them toured with the trading ship around Asia – many of his inventions were successfully sold to budding companies – and they returned to England together the next winter.

They were wedded the next spring in a somewhat casual ceremony.

They served tea.

OoO

**AN: Hope you liked! I did wish that Alice had asked Hatter to come with her, when he asked her to stay. It was actually that wish that prompted this fic.**

**Bundi**


End file.
